Birdsong at Night
by GeistLoL
Summary: [Romance] (Quinn x Talon) Returning to Demacia from a successful mission, Quinn takes some time to remember the comforts of home before a familiar Noxian intruder comes to help.


**Birdsong at Night**

 **Sequel to Chapter 4 of _Ardour & Lust_ 'Peace in the Wilderness'.**

Quinn was a mess. Her hair was stuck with dried sweat to her dirty face and her Demacian ranger's robes were caked in mud and grass stains, so much so that their beautiful royal blue colour was barely recognisable in places. She was tired and her muscles ached, yet she found the remaining strength needed to trudge her way through the pillared white-stone gates of Demacia. Her mission was over and for the first time in months, the comforts of home seemed not all that far away.

The citizens out on the streets during the evening hours shot her strange looks as the dirty ranger hauled herself through the districts to her home. They recognised her once they took a closer look, mostly because of Valor's presence atop her shoulder squawking impatiently.

'It's alright Val. You'll get something to eat once we're home,' she said, giving him a weak nuzzle on his chest.

Quinn's home was grand for someone of her age. Three storeys and built from the same pristine stone that lined the walls of the Palace of Dawn. Her involvement in the Demacian military had granted her ownership of it while she worked under their banner. She pushed the door open and nearly flopped down onto the doormat once she stepped over the threshold. Inside, the house was cold and lightless. Clean and untouched for so long. Six months had passed since Quinn had ridden out with the Noxian scout mission ringing in her mind, and half a year the house had stood uninhabited. Sometimes she thought she didn't deserve all this grandeur.

It was cold when she went in, but nowhere near as cold as the wilds had been during her mission. Winter was cruel on the Noxian border, and snow still lined the streets of Demacia as she wandered the districts to home. She lit the lamps downstairs and made her way up the winding staircase to the master bedroom. Overlooking the gentle snowfall that peppered the night sky, Quinn set the meagre possessions she'd taken on the mission with her down. She'd sort them out in the morning.

Valor squawked again once he noticed his perch, and she plopped him down on it as she continued to sort through her room. He didn't stop his cawing as she moved around, and glancing down at herself she realised it was probably because she was caked in mud and about to make a mess of her pristine clean bedroom.

'You think a wash is in order, Val?' she said, picking at some crusty mud clinging to her clothes.

Valor replied with an affirmative squawk and flap of his wings.

'Not for you just yet. You didn't have to drag yourself through dirt for months,' said Quinn with a hand on her hip. Valor cried again at her. 'I know the air around Noxus isn't exactly clean, but I think I'm in more need of a shower than you are, Val,' Quinn said, gesturing at the brown splotches covering her winged robe. 'You stay there for a moment.'

Quinn's room had a large en-suite bathroom adjoining it, lavish and open with a wet room large enough for several people to stand under the flow. She walked over to the door, slowly losing her outer coat and the blue robe that imitated the wings of her beloved eagle companion. The clothing hit the floor, along with the leather of her armour. Her blue bodysuit peeled off her like a snake shedding its skin, and soon enough Quinn stood under the shower head, wearing only the dirty marks of her completed mission.

The water ran brown from the amount of mud on her skin, but after only a few minutes, Quinn started to feel more like herself again. More like a young woman, and less like the seasoned military scout she had to be for her country. The warmth was of home, the surroundings familiar and the comfort filling her with solace. The strands of her mahogany hair were lathered with shampoo and as she washed it between her fingers, she realised how long it had gotten during her time away. Perhaps there would be time tomorrow to get it cut.

After some self-grooming and running a razor along the parts of her that needed it, Quinn turned the valve and wrapped a towel around her wet body. She dabbed at her brown hair with another towel as her bare feet padded across into her bedroom.

Valor watched her lovingly from his perch, cocking his head and tapping his talons on the bar. She was about to speak when without warning the room was plunged into darkness. The oil lamps went out and Quinn lost all ability to see.

A hand was pressed to her mouth, muffling a squeal as she writhed in the grip of her assailant. She had nothing to defend herself, no weapon or even any protection on her person if this stranger wanted her dead. She thought of all the Noxian infantrymen she had encountered during her mission. The ones she'd snuck past, outsmarted or whose friends she'd killed. They'd come back for revenge.

Valor cried loudly and a rush of air filled Quinn's ears as he flew from his perch to her aid. She felt him near her, going straight for the face of her attacker. As Valor began to strike, Quinn was freed from their grip. She ran to the lamp on her bedside and lit it again to fill the room with orange light.

Her attacker had fallen to the floor as Valor continued to peck and flap in their face. They were clad in black and purple that covered them entirely, and without having to see their face, Quinn realised what had happened.

'Valor, stop! Back!' Quinn commanded. The eagle turned his head, while still keeping himself in the air. He appeared as if he did not entirely trust her instructions, but nonetheless retreated back to land on his perch beside her. The hooded man was grumbling in pain and rolling around on the floor of her bedroom.

'Why did you set Valor on me? You said he'd be gone by now,' the man said, struggling to make it to his feet.

'Excuse me? Nowhere in our agreement did I say I wanted you to assault me in my own home! Why do you always insist on pretending to attack me whenever we meet? Last time you put a knife to my throat,' said Quinn, walking over and hauling the man up by the collar to stand in front of her.

'Hey come on, you aimed your crossbow at my heart for that one,' he said, adjusting his cloak.

'And rightly so.' Quinn brushed him off, tugging his hood down and pulling the scarf around his mouth away so his face became clear to her. Valor continued to eye him warily from the perch.

Talon never exactly looked neat and tidy, but it appeared he had at least had a wash and a shave in the last week. His scarred skin was smooth and not covered in the usual layer of soot and dust for once. He smelt of the city and his clothes had remained untorn, up until Valor had sunk his talons in.

Once Talon looked up to take a proper look at her, he was suddenly struck by her state of undress. Quinn was stood only wearing a thin white towel around her middle that left most of her legs exposed. She was holding the edge of it in her grip where it had obviously come undone during their escapade in the dark. Quinn noticed his gaze and saw his widening eyes tracing her pale skin. She put a hand on her hip.

'You never change do you?' she said. He gave a guilty shake of his head.

'Not while you're looking like that.' He stepped forward, daring to trail the fingers of his right hand up her side. She didn't give any physical response of her own, but watched him with dark brown eyes and a raise of her brow. 'Gods, you're beautiful.'

She prodded a finger into his chest when he tried to get closer.

'Trying to make me forget the fact you attacked me, hm?' she asked. He shrugged, stepping forward to take her around the waist and feeling the softness of her fluffy towel on his palms. His face came only inches away from her, his mouth lingering around her ear.

'I think for a moment, _just a moment_ , it was working wasn't it?' he asked. With a gentle press of his hand to the small of her back, he encouraged her to give up her hard exterior and lay her head in the crook of his shoulder. Her wet hair left drops down his cloak as she nuzzled her cheek into his front.

'Of course not. Don't think too highly of yourself,' she said, looking back into his smoky grey eyes. Her hands were set on his shoulders and while she still felt annoyed deep down, looking at his face after weeks on the road set those thoughts to rest. The smile that ghosted on his handsome features as he looked back at her set her heart to lead. A sight for only her to see, the outcast Noxian assassin smiling from love.

With her arms laced around her neck, she relaxed allowing him to settle on her hips and hold her. She fell into his embrace, her mind letting out a strained exhale of relieved frustration from her lonely days in the wilds. The wind and rain were no companions next to him, and while Valor had been with her, her mission required him to be regularly scouting the skies.

Her thoughts turned to the one night they had spent in her tent, his touch on her aching limbs and the sweet words that made her mission bearable for just that moment. There was more to this brazen assassin than his fiery attitude and the sharpness of his blades, there was tenderness beneath the skin. There was a need for not just a woman, but a woman like her. There was love.

While her mind wandered in the affection of his presence, she had not realized they had moved until her back met the silks of her bedsheets. Uncrumpled and untouched for months, she crashed down with him atop her and his lips locked to hers.

Rough fingers graced her face, cupping her cheeks and losing themselves in the messy tresses of her hair. The gentle trace on her skin fell down her neck, over the peak of her breast contained in the towel and down to linger on the bare skin of her thigh. He held her tight as their lips wrestled, foreheads pressed to meet and their noses brushing with every fervent pass of their kisses.

With an impatient tug, the meeting point of her towel where she had tucked it under her arms came loose, letting the fabric slip and reveal more of her pale skin to him. As she brushed it aside, his fingers came back to send pleasurable jolts as they slipped down her exposed navel, treading lower and not stopping as they boldly slipped past her waist.

Valor squawked loudly from across the room.

Talon stopped, looking over his shoulder at the eagle who stared back with his wings stretched out to the side.

'Just ignore him,' Quinn said, turning his face back to look at her. Talon tried again to regain his intimacy with Quinn, daring to touch the smooth skin of her shaven mound.

Valor cried even louder.

'He's putting me off,' Talon admitted with a huff, looking again at the bird with a scowl.

'Val, quiet!' Quinn ordered, letting Talon sit up from being laid over her and perching himself on the edge of her bed. Valor cawed again, clacking his talons impatiently on his perch.

Quinn got the implication, wrapping the towel around her again. She stood up, grabbing her falconer's glove that was discarded on the floor by her bed when she had come in. She pulled it on, walking over to the bird's perch and frowning at him.

'Right you've lost your privilege of staying with me tonight. Come on,' she said to Valor. The eagle looked at her with a cock of his feathered head, letting out another tetchy cry. She pointed a finger at him, one that he tried to nibble with his beak. 'Nope, not hearing it. You're being naughty.'

Valor reluctantly padded onto her leather glove. She lifted him up, moving over to the balcony doors and stepping out in the coolness of the winter night. With a quick raise and flick of her hand, Valor took off into the night, still wailing like a child having a tantrum.

Once he was lost in the inky darkness of the sky, Quinn turned back into the room finding Talon exactly where she'd left him. He looked to her expectantly, the same glint she had seen in his dark eyes. He smiled at her as she wandered slowly back over to him, making a point to give a sway of her hips with each step.

'It's just us now, he won't be back till morning,' said Quinn.

'A night with you in a posh Demacian manor? Could this be any better?' Talon sat, admiring her as she stopped in front of him.

'I can think of one way this can be better,' Quinn said, with a hand resting on her hip.

'Oh? What would that be?'

Without another word and maintaining the coy smirk tugging at her lips, Quinn pulled the towel from her body and let it drop to a fluffy pile on the floor. She gave him a wink as he ogled her naked body, before pouncing into his lap and wrestling him to her bed.

Quinn dozed as she lay her head on Talon's bare chest, the strands of her mahogany hair tracing the grooves of the many scars on his muscled torso. She breathed gently as she slipped in and out of sleep, the rise and fall of his chest lulling her to sleep. Her hand clutched at his tightly, the little strokes of his thumb over her hand reminding her that she was home and safe in the arms of someone she loved.

The bed sheets lingered on the rise of her hips, leaving both their top halfs exposed and lit by the silver light of the moon that came in through the balcony window. Quinn had insisted on leaving the curtains open, allowing them to stare out into the starry sky and watch as the gentle snowfall peppered the city in white.

Talon shifted in the bed, tucking his arm around Quinn's shoulder to press her tightly to him. She sensed his movement, breaking her from the daze.

'You alright?' she asked, looking up at his face and noticing that he was still awake. 'Have you slept at all?'

'Not really.' He sat up in the bed, still keeping his arm around her. 'Think it's the nights I've spent on the street. They stop me getting any sleep when I finally have the chance.'

'You've been on the streets? Did something happen with Du Couteau?'

Talon didn't reply immediately, but chose to stare out at the night sky for a while. She watched his face, finding the expression of him lost in his thoughts unusual on his face.

'Katarina found out I was consorting with a Demacian at the border,' he finally said.

Quinn's eyes widened as she sat up. 'What? She knows? If she knows we've been seeing each other it could tear our nations apart! I could lose my place in the Demacian military,' Quinn said with urgency. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder to comfort her worry.

'She doesn't know _who_ I saw. She, or anyone in Noxus for that matter, doesn't know that is was you who was scouting their border and sabotaging the outposts. They just know it was some Demacian scout. They didn't see you or Valor, I made sure.'

Quinn felt her worried heart began to relax and the heat that had spread across her skin sink back to a comforting warmth. Her breath had caught in her throat from the news, but soon it calmed and she fell back to lay her head on him. He stroked her hair and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

'I was cast out. She'll calm down and let me back. You know how she gets.'

'I don't really,' Quinn said quietly. 'All I see is a mane of red hair and a knife aimed at my neck. That's all my experience with Katarina has ever been.'

'She overreacts. Then she realises that she overreacted and sulks for two days. But won't ever apologize or admit she was wrong. That's just who she is. For now, I just want to forget it.'

'Lay down,' Quinn instructed, gently pushing his chest down so he laid properly in the bed on his side. She slotted herself next to him, reaching over and pulling his arm over her to wrap around her waist. She held onto his hand again as he tugged the sheets to cover them both. 'Relax,' she whispered into the silence once they had settled.

She revelled in the feeling of his arms encasing her in his warmth and the tickle of his breaths as they lifted wisps of her dark hair.

'Quinn,' she heard him say into the quiet. His voice was gentle and lacking the usual attitude that normally laced his words.

'...mmm?'

'What if we get found out? What do we do if all this is discovered?' he asked, a hint of a scared worry in his tone. She thought for a moment, running a finger tenderly over his forearm.

'I wouldn't care,' she said finally. She turned in the bed, taking him by surprise as she came to face him. His arms wrapped tighter around her, pulling her close so that their foreheads were pressed together. 'I'd run away with you. We'd start a new life somewhere else. None of what I have matters,' she said, looking into the smoky grey of his eyes. 'Only you matter.'

He smiled, before pressing a soft kiss to her nose. 'That would be perfect.'

Talon did not sleep deeply, but with the solace of Quinn by his side and wrapped in his arms, he allowed himself a few moments of closing his eyes and emptying his thoughts. As tongues of red began to streak across the sky, and dawnlight peered in through their bedroom window, he tentatively extracted himself from Quinn's loving hold.

She was still very much asleep, sleeping soundly with her face pressed into the pillow. He took a moment to trail his gaze along the slopes of her sides, past her modest breasts illuminated in the pale light and up to her face. He leant over, pressing his lips to her neck before leaving the bed as quietly as he could.

Dressing quickly in his clothes they had shed from each other the night before, Talon stepped around the room to the other side of the bed. He knelt to her sleeping form, tucking her loose hair behind her ear and kissing her lightly again on the head. 'I'll be back again soon,' he whispered in her ear. 'Don't you worry.'

The dawn was quiet and the air was still when he stepped out onto the balcony. He looked out over the proud city of Demacia, his _enemy's_ homestate. He struggled to find ill-feelings for this place. Just as he was preparing to vault the balcony's edge and take off into the new day before he was spotted, a blue form sailed through the sky to land by his side.

Valor perched himself on the stone balustrade, eyeing the man with a cocked head. He squawked, but not loudly and not with the intent to ward off what he deemed a threat. It sounded more like a greeting.

'Valor,' Talon acknowledged with a nod of his head. The Demacian eagle continued to study him before padding up along the balustrade for a closer look. The Noxian did not move, but allowed the bird to do as he pleased. With an extension of his head, Valor pecked at Talon's fingers, gently and not with enough force to hurt. The eagle took a finger lightly in his beak, pulling his hand with him and encouraging the man to pet him.

Talon took the hint and stroked the back of his hand along the downy feathers of Valor's chest.

'You know I don't want to hurt her, right Valor? You don't need to worry about that one bit. You know why? Because I love her, Valor. That's right, I love her and wouldn't do her wrong in any way. I'm not trying to come between you are her.'

The eagle seemed to understand and stretched out his wings around Talon's body. He smiled, giving him a tickle on the top of his feathered head. 'You make sure she's safe for me Val and I'll be back for her soon. Deal?'

Valor cawed with more volume and a flap of his blue wings. With one last look at his lover's closest companion, Talon leapt over the edge of the balcony, falling to the streets of Demacia and immediately becoming lost in the shadows of the alleyways.

* * *

 **Hey all, Geist here.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this little revisit to one of my old A &L subnarratives. The Quinn/Talon chapter was definitely very well received, so I wanted to do something that continued that strand of their story a little further. I know it's not got any actual sex in it, but I sort of wanted to use it as a way of practicing and getting back in touch with the more emotional stuff I would normally write.**

 **On that note, I felt the urge to write this as a result of a whole load of emotional shit that's hit me in life recently. I'm just about on the mend from it all, but I've had a good two weeks of feeling like my heart's been made of lead. I also had a pretty severe allergic reaction that left my entire neck covered in reaaaaaallly bad eczema, which has been a nightmare. It's just about returned to it's normal colour now, but still itches like mad.**

 **Things are on the up though. I've got another year of my Masters degree to look forward to starting soon and my novel writing is coming along well.**

 **Hope you are all doing good.**


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